Iopi
by rabbit keys
Summary: Twoshot. Chapter one was written for a vocab homework story. Kirk goes down to quell a rebellion on Iopi and is injured. Spock and McCoy speak to him in sickbay.
1. Spock

"Transport the captain to sickbay!"

"Comm. Doctor McCoy, quick, we need the biosupport-tech ready ASAP!"

"Where's the commander?!"

Commander Spock strode from the bridge in barely controlled panic, trying desperately to ignore the yelling of the crewmembers as they rushed to get their captain to the doctor. Spock wasn't sure what had happened. One minute he was speaking to Captain Kirk over the comm. about the lack of threat posed by the people of Iopi, the next minute the line was cut and he could only watch from the ship as mini explosions occurred all over the planet.

The mission should have been simple. Captain Kirk was to take about twenty crewmembers down to the planet of Iopi and help quell the rebellion against the Starfleet-ruled district. Spock would have gone instead of the captain, but Spock, being from the desert planet Vulcan, would not be able to handle being on the aquatic planet for long. Jim Kirk, being human, could handle it just fine with a wetsuit and a rebreather.

Or maybe he couldn't. Spock did not have all the facts, but for some reason, the USS Enterprise's beloved captain was in critical condition. Spock was headed to sickbay now to see what was going on.

He got there shortly after Kirk's unconscious body did, and he was told to wait outside until Kirk was stabilized. Spock's emotional side detested the idea, but logic dictated that he put aside feelings and do what would benefit the captain.

Doctor Leonard McCoy, nicknamed "Bones" by Kirk, walked out of the sickbay an hour later. Spock had not moved from his spot at all, and only moved now to turn his head towards the approaching figure with a strange look in his eyes. Doctor McCoy automatically answered the unspoken question.

"He's not dyin' anymore. That kid gets in more trouble than-"

"May I see him?" Spock interrupted impatiently.

The doctor studied Spock for a moment. The normally cool and detached alien was now fidgeting with worry. "Yeah," McCoy said after a moment, "yeah, you can see him. He's awake now. Follow me."

Relieved, Spock walked with the doctor to Kirk's cot, where the man lay staring at the ceiling. His skin was an unhealthy pale color, there were tiny incisions all over his body, and his blue eyes were clouded with pain. Nevertheless, he smiled as his two friends entered.

"How's my girl?" Kirk blurted in a barely audible whisper, referring to the ship.

If Spock was irritated that the first thing Kirk did was ask about a large piece of machinery, he did not show it. "Fine. What happened down on Iopi?"

Kirk coughed and cleared his throat before answering. His voice was still hoarse, but it was louder now. "A couple red shirts and I got captured by the rebels. They roughed me up a bit."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "Roughed me up a bit" seemed to translate to mild torture.

"Remember that I said that the rebel forces weren't that impressive?" Kirk asked. Spock nodded. "Apparently they found a giant sea serpent and got it on their side. The Yokurom Dragon from their mythology isn't so mythological after all. Well, _wasn't_ mythological. We killed it, so it doesn't exist now. I was injured in the fight against it, and then we were taken. Officer Leroy rescued us about ten minutes ago."

"An hour and a half ago," McCoy corrected.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Kirk waved a hand dismissively and coughed. "He managed to tell me that the rest of the crewmembers had gotten some armed citizens together and rounded up the rest of the fighters. I blacked out shortly after that."

Spock opened his mouth to scold the captain about letting his guard down and getting injured, but he was interrupted by a rap on the door. The trio all turned their gazes to Ensign Chekov, a brilliant Russian teenager. "Keptin," he said shyly, "zhe Iopians left a note for you in sanks."

"Ah, kid, bring it over here, would you?" Kirk told him as loud as he could (about normal conversation level), and Chekov began to cross the room, only to be stopped by Spock, who took the letter and gave the boy a nod to dismiss him. Chekov hurried away.

The note was in almost illegible scribbles, with plenty of misspelled words and grammar mistakes. Considering that almost no one other than Starfleet officers and workers spoke Standard on Iopi, though, the note was pretty well done.

"What does it say, Spock?" Kirk asked.

"The citizens of Iopi and members of Starfleet are thanking you for your crew's bravery and your ingenious tactics tips. You've been awarded the Iopian Medal of Honour."

"Cool." Kirk whispered with a grin.

"Alright, I think that's enough gabbin' for one day." Doctor McCoy said, ignoring Kirk's immediate whining and protests and escorting Spock out of the room. "Our dumb captain needs his rest and you, Commander, have a ship to command. Get to it."

Spock nodded and left. Captain Kirk was no longer dying, so everything would be fine.


	2. McCoy

_I'm procrastinating homework._

* * *

"Well, g'night, then, Bones." Kirk said after Spock had left. He expected that Bones would shut the lights off and force him to sleep, or maybe he'd drug him or something.

"I lied. You ain't doin' nothin' til I chew you out for being a dumbass." Bones fixed him with a glare that could rival Khan's.

"Wait, what?"

"I just wanted Spock outta the way so he wouldn't stop me from yelling at you. What the _hell_ were you thinking?!" Bones slammed his hand down on a desk. Kirk jolted in surprise.

Kirk raised an eyebrow. "Gee, Bones, calm down. I know the mission was a _bit_ risky, but-"

"You lied to me, and you lied to Spock. It wasn't _just_ that they captured you and just randomly decided to torture you. I had one of the crewmembers tell me what really happened down there. What were you thinking, sassing the enemy like that? They had you captured and you decide to _provoke_ them?!" Bones snarled. Kirk mentally facepalmed. He should've known someone would rat him out.

"Hey, give me some credit here! Everything turned out okay, right?" Kirk said defensively.

"Alright? You think this is-" Bones' voice cut out. He covered his eyes with one hand and leaned against a desk. He took a shaky breath and Jim had the feeling that Bones was trying not to cry. Bones took his hand from his face and turned to the wall. "You almost died again, Jim. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna let that happen."

Jim swallowed. "Yeah," he said, "I'm sorry."

Bones walked over closer. Kirk thought he was going to lay his hand on Kirk's shoulder.

Instead, he got a swat on the back of the head.

"Ow!"

"Don't you do something that stupid again, ya hear? Or I'll come after you with hypos. Don't think I won't, farmboy." Bones glared at Kirk again.

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you." Kirk couldn't help a grin.

"So," Bones said, expression turning sly. "I couldn't help but notice that Spock was a bit worried about you. More worried than normal."

Kirk turned beet red. "Aw, lay off!"

"Go to sleep, you idiot." Bones said fondly as he walked away. "Get some rest."


End file.
